Kansas Reads to Preschoolers

Hope all our readers remembered to turn their clocks back and got an extra hour of sleep. Or maybe you put that hour to use in another way. Some people are more sensitive than others to changes such as this, but everyone is sure to notice the difference around suppertime tonight when darkness descends.

If you missed our Geek Day Carnival on the 29th, you missed out on a good time. In spite of chilly temps and a brisk south wind, it was a great event. The kids enjoyed the games, Poppa D clown, the popcorn, and, of course, the balloons. Parents, grandparents, and other adults enjoyed visiting with library staff, getting geek info, and writing on our geek board. Musical entertainment was provided by Watson's Warriors, and it really added to the festivities. There were lots of great volunteers who helped out wherever needed. A big 'thank you' to each and every one of you!

And now it's time to move on to November activities. November 13 through 19 is Kansas Reads to Preschoolers week, a statewide effort to read to as many preschoolers as possible. The intent is to raise awareness of the importance of early literacy in the lives of young children. This is the seventh year for this event, which has seen a great selection of titles, personal appearances by some of the authors, and wonderful companion activities. This year is no exception, as the chosen book is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. This rollicking alphabet book is sure to please preschoolers everywhere. A bit about its author - Bill Martin, Jr. (1916-2004) has been called "America's favorite children's book author." Born and raised in Hiawatha, he experienced difficulty reading until he attended Kansas State Teacher's College at Emporia (now Emporia State University). There he memorized poems an instructor read aloud, then related the words to what was on the page. After graduation, Martin taught English and journalism at Newton and St. John, Kansas. Martin continued as an educator, became a school principal in Illinois, and earned a doctorate in early childhood education. He then moved to New York to join publisher Holt, Rinehart and Winston as editor-in-chief of the school division and developer of innovative reading programs. In 1972 Martin became a full-time writer, eventually publishing over 300 books. (taken from Kansas Center for the Book website, Martin biography).

During Kansas Reads to Preschoolers week, the library provides both in-library and outside of the library programs. The special in-library story time for Kansas Reads to Preschoolers will take place at 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, November 17. For those outside programs, preschools and larger daycares throughout Liberal are visited by library staff members who present the featured story. The smaller in-home daycares are the ones that are sometimes most difficult to connect with. This is where our readers can help out.

If you operate a home daycare, please phone the library so that a visit to your facility can be arranged during that week. If you know someone who operates a home daycare, please encourage them to give the library a call at 626-0180, ext 4. It's great that Liberal joins in reaching out to so many little ones and in making a good showing for the state-wide tally, making a statement of the importance of early literacy.

The November 17 story time session will be the final one in this series. The next set of storytimes will begin December 8. Be sure to check the library's website or pick up a monthly events newsletter at our circulation desk to get all the latest on activities in the library. The month of December will be bringing some fun events for youngsters.

Recently we received a generous donation from the Seward County Conservation District earmarked for books on soil. We are acquiring those titles. Those now on the shelf include: Growing and Eating Green -- Careers in Farming, Producing, and Marketing Food by Ruth Owen; Different Kinds of Soil by Molly Aloian; How is Soil Made? by Heather L. Montgomery; Soil Erosion and How to Prevent It by Natalie Hyde; and Micro Life in Soil also by Natalie Hyde.

Growing and Eating Green is part of a series called Green-Collar Careers. As is typical of many information books for youngsters these days, this book contains, in addition to the main text, additional little boxes of information. Chapter 1 is entitled The Future is Green and includes push pin 'attached' information on various careers. In addition, terms such as organic and fair trade are defined in other boxes. Other boxed items include information about caged hens and about mad cow disease and vCJD. The back of the book provides both a glossary and a page of websites for further information.

The other four titles listed above are part of a series entitled Everybody Digs Soil. The publisher describes this series by stating, "Soil is second only to oceans as the most important living area on planet Earth. This amazing series goes under ground to show children how soil is as important as the atmosphere in sustaining life on Earth and keeping global warming under control. Kid-friendly examples and fun activities help young readers understand complex processes." So, if your child 'digs' soil, come on in and check out these great titles! See you at Memorial Library!

Anti-bullying Awareness Month

October greetings from the Children's Library! The month is moving along swiftly. If you have been in the library recently, you have probably seen staff members in Geek tee shirts. Or if you've attended an around-town activity lately, the library may have been there with their geek booth. If you haven't been in recently or seen our booth around town, you might be a little unclear about all this geeking. Do not be dismayed, your chance to say, "Oh, I see!" is coming. On Saturday, October 29, Memorial Library is hosting an official geek day in our parking lot and on our lawn from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The community is invited to come on out, enjoy some carnival-type games, have a snack, maybe win a prize in our giveaway, and find out what geek is all about. Because our entire staff is helping with this event, the library will not be open that day. Just drop off your due materials in the book drop and we'll get them checked in.

Storytimes have resumed on Thursday mornings. If you know someone who would like to take part, just have them give us a call, check our website, or stop by the library for the schedule. New little ones, and accompanying adults, are always welcome. This session lasts through November 17.

October is Anti-bullying Awareness Month. Bullying seems to have become more prevalent in our society. There are certainly more opportunities to bully in this day and age with cyber bullying offering another avenue. The library has a number of resources for both children and teens, as well as for parents. These titles include Bullying and Me by Ouisie Shapiro and Smart Kid's Guide to Online Bullying by David Jakubiak , both from the children's non-fiction collection. For teens, Dealing with Bullying by Alexa Gordon Murphy and Odd Girl Speaks Out - girls write about bullies, cliques, popularity, and jealousy, by Rachel Simmons. From Barbara Coloroso, The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander - from Preschool to High School: How parents and teachers can help break the cycle of violence. In addition, if you search our card catalog, you will find a number of fiction stories about children overcoming bullies.

The Children's Television Network has joined the anti-bullying campaign as well. Here's what the site has to say about their recent offerings on the topic. "Big Bird, Elmo, Abby and the rest of the Sesame Street gang address the important issue of bullying in a special episode, 'The Good Birds Club,'which aired on PBS on October 17. Bullying has been identified as a major concern by schools across the U.S. with 56% of students having personally witnessed some type of bullying in school. Sesame Street's anti-bullying episode hopes to educate young viewers about bullying and encourage preventative actions to combat aggressive behavior. The episode is part of a larger Sesame Street anti-bullying campaign including:

• Two new additional episodes addressing other bullying-related social-emotional issues.
• A robust parenting topics page at www.sesamestreet.org/bullying providing caregivers with videos, anti-bullying tips and "view and do" activities for children designed to promote healthy friendships as well as respect and understanding of each other's differences.
• A special 5-part video series Happy To Be Me: An Anti-Bullying Discussion with experts in the fields of child psychology, advocacy, education and health, delivering important messages for parents and children.
• The full street story of 'The Good Birds Club' will be available online for parents to watch with their children.

The new episodes will introduce young children to the ongoing issue of bullying and teach them the pro-social skills necessary to prevent and address this critical problem."

If this is a topic you are further interested in, Families Together is hosting a conference on November 12 in Wichita which is open to the public. Here is what they say about that conference, "Students who are bullied show more physical symptoms, such as headaches or stomach aches, and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, than other students. Families Together is proud to welcome Su Ellen Fried, co-author of Banishing Bullying Behavior and nationally renowned Anti-Bullying Advocate, and Dr. Charles Smith, author of Raising Courageous Kids to the 2011 FINDING SOLUTIONS conference. Dr. Smith and Ms. Fried will tackle this serious issue on what our children maybe facing everyday."To sign up, contact Families Together at 316-945-7747 or go to http://www.familiestogetherinc.org/ then click on dropdown "our events" and select 'statewide conferences'.

Join us for Geek Day on October 29 and we'll see you at Memorial Library!

Drop by the library this month!

Many geek-y activities are planned for the months of October and November.
Computer classes in English continue to meet every Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. and computer classes in Spanish meet every Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m.  Reservations are needed so call or stop by the circulation desk to reserve your spot.

There will be a Teen Advisory Committee/Halloween Soiree on Thursday, October 27 at 4 p.m. and a Teen Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday, November 10 at 4 p.m.  In the works is a holiday performance in the weeks to come.

The library's official Geek Day will be on Saturday, October 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the front lawn of the library.  The theme will be carnival based.  We will also be at the United Way Halloween party in the Southgate Mall on Sunday, October 30.  We will win the best booth contest in our debut! It's our goal.
The Library and Lunch book discussion will be held on Tuesday, November 8 at 12 p.m. The book "French Lessons" by Ellen Sussman will be discussed.  This is Sussman's second book.  She's also the editor of two anthologies.

"French Lessons" follows a single day in Paris as it changes the lives of three Americans as they each set off to explore the city with a French tutor, learning about language, love and loss, as their lives intersect in surprising ways.  They're in the city for various reasons. Josie is a young high school teacher hoping to heal a broken heart, Riley is an ex-pat housewife struggling to feel connected to her husband and her new country, and Jeremy is the reserved husband of an actress, accompanying her on a film shoot yet finding himself distant from her world.  They find unexpected passion and unpredictable adventures!

Book and Movie will meet on Thursday, November 17 at 6 p.m. for "The Lincoln Lawyer" by Michael Connelly. In a Connelly thriller, charismatic Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Michael "Mick" Haller operates out of the back of his sedan. Having spent most of his career defending petty, garden-variety criminals, Mick unexpectedly lands the case of a lifetime; defending a rich Beverly Hills playboy, who is accused of attempted murder.  What initially appears to be a straightforward case with a big money pay-off swiftly develops into a deadly match between two masters of manipulation and a crisis of conscience for Haller.

This Monday is Columbus Day. The library will be open.  Columbus Day was originally October 12 but since 1971, the second Monday in October commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World.  Columbus' explorations were financed by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain but Columbus was a native of Genoa and over the years Italian Americans have begun to honor his achievement.
Drop by this Columbus Day and pick up a history book!  Selections from the non-fiction collection include "1493: uncovering the new world Columbus created" by Charles C. Mann, "Atlantic: great sea battles, heroic discoveries, titanic storms, and a vast ocean of a million stories" by Simon Winchester,"Fraternalism and leadership: the second fifty years of the Knights of Columbus in Kansas" by Roy Bird, and "Rivers of gold: the rise of the Spanish Empire, from Columbus to Magellan" by Hugh Thomas.

As always, for the latest library programming take a peek at the library website or grab a newsletter from the circulation desk. Stay tuned and connected through our social media pages. If you have any questions or suggestions about books or programs don't hesitate to ask. Hope to see you at the library!

Geek the Library

When you think of the Liberal Memorial Library the first thing that comes to mind is books. These days it may even be DVDs or computers. But the library is much more than all those things. It's a place of workshops and activities for all ages. The library has computer training workshops every Tuesday and Wednesday in English and Spanish. The library has its monthly "Lunch and Library" and "Movie and Library" series. There is also storytime for children as well as gaming activities for teens and young adults.

The library has also had its share of guest speakers to enlighten the Liberal community. Western authors Phyllis Miranda and Linda Broday came to town to promote their new book as well as give some background on their writing process.


Children's literature expert and Kansas State professor Joe Sutliff Sanders visited the library and gave his perspective on the escape of Margret and H.A Rey, the creators of Curious George, from Nazi-occupied France during World War II.

The library is always working on activities and workshops that the community finds interesting and valuable.
Over the next few months, the library will be participating in numerous events such as the Duck Race Festival, the Mexican Independence Day Festival and the Halloween at the Southgate Mall.
At these events, the library will be out trying to unleash the community's inner geek.

But just what is geek? Geek simply means passion. Do you geek books? Video games? Football? What is your passion?

The library is participating in Geek the Library, a community-based public awareness campaign. The campaign highlights what people are passionate about and how libraries can support them, in an effort to heighten awareness about the critical funding issues public libraries face.

The public awareness campaign illustrates the fact that everyone is passionate about something--everyone 'geeks' something--and that the library supports them all.

So get ready to get your geek on!

Return on investment. You may hear those three words when you're talking about the stock market or real estate investments, but how often do you hear them when you're talking about the library? Probably not as often, if ever, as you should.

In these tough economic times, everyone is always wondering if they are getting the best bang for their buck. Am I getting the most with my money? I can tell you that the library is one place where you are getting your money's worth.

Recent studies have shown that for every one dollar that goes to the library, you get five dollars back on your return. Where else do you think you can get that kind of return on your investment?

Just think, instead of borrowing a book or checking out a DVD, you would have to buy it. Instead of borrowing a computer and surfing the internet, you have to buy a computer and get an internet connection.
For more information on how much you're getting back on your library dollar, check out http://www.tscpl.org/about/library-value-calculator/ It's easy to forget the library is here until you need it. (When a certain bookstore left town.) The library is a community resource and an investment. The more you put into it, the more you can get out of it.

Liberal has been great in supporting the library and understands it's a valuable commodity. Still, it never hurts to give a reminder of its value.

I Geek...

Residents of Liberal may soon add a new verb to their vocabulary-- 'geek.'

The Liberal Memorial Library is participating in Geek the Library, a community-based public awareness campaign. The campaign highlights what people are passionate about and how libraries can support them, in an effort to heighten awareness about the critical funding issues public libraries face.

Geek the Library features local educational material that introduces 'geek' as a verb, and encourages the public to talk about what they 'geek'--whether it's engineering, superheroes or art. The public awareness campaign illustrates the fact that everyone is passionate about something--everyone 'geeks' something--and that the library supports them all.

"This campaign is designed to provoke conversation about the vital role that public libraries and librarians play in today's challenging environment," said Cathy De Rosa, global vice president of marketing for OCLC, a non-profit library cooperative which led campaign development and conducted a pilot campaign from June 2009 to April 2010. "We hope it will spark important community discussions about how public libraries can remain strong."

The awareness campaign features advertising, social networking elements, a Web site and grassroots community initiatives to draw attention to the need for increased library support. The campaign Web site, www.geekthelibrary.org, provides information about how people can get active and support their local library.

As the economic downturn slowly recovers, millions of Americans are turning to local libraries for educational opportunities, job-searching resources and entertainment. The increased demand for library services is taking a toll on libraries already experiencing flat or decreasing budgets. And state and local cuts are impacting public library hours, programs and staffing, forcing some libraries to close indefinitely.

While most people have visited their public library and understand its important role in their community, many do not know that libraries are at risk or that local funding for libraries is heavily influenced by community members.

This public awareness campaign hopes to start a conversation about library funding to inspire more people to take personal responsibility for keeping their local public libraries vital in their communities. The campaign will not support or oppose any candidate for public office, nor attempt to influence legislation.
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The Liberal Memorial Library and the Seward County Historical Society welcomes award-winning authors Phyliss Miranda and Linda Broday to Liberal from July 14-16.

Miranda and Broday will be discussing their latest western romance, "Give Me a Texas Outlaw" at a social at the Library on Thursday, July 14 at 6:00 p.m. and at a breakfast at the Coronado Museum on Saturday, July 16 at 8:00 a.m.

Both events at the Library and the Coronado Museum are free to the public.
"Give Me a Texas Outlaw" is the fourth in a series of anthologies by Miranda, Broday, Dewanna Pace and best-selling author Jodi Thomas. A fifth anthology is slated to come out in October of this year.

The first three books are "Give Me a Texan," "Give Me a Cowboy," and "Give Me a Texas Ranger."

For more information on the events, contact the Liberal Memorial Library at (620) 626-0180 or the Seward County Historical Society at (620) 624-7624.

For more information on the authors, you can visit their websites at www.phylissmiranda.com and www.lindabroday.com.

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The Liberal Memorial Library is happy to be partnering with the Mid America Air Museum on its latest exhibit, "The Wartime Escape: Margaret and H.A. Rey's Journey from France."

The Library will be running programs in coordination with the Air Museum's exhibit, which tells the tale of Margaret and H.A. Rey perilous escape from France during World War II. The Reys are the renowned authors the Curious George series.

The Library will have children's programming on Curious George for the children as well as programs for adults and teens on World War II and the Holocaust. We will also have tickets to the exhibit.
"The Wartime Escape: Margaret and H.A. Rey's Journey from France" is expected to begin at the Mid-America Air Museum later this month.

For more information on the exhibit, you can contact the Air Museum at (620) 624-5263. For more information on Library programming, you can call us at (620) 626-0180 or visit our web site